Maple wins gold, Bradley takes bronze at Medved International

MINSK, Belarus – The USA secured two medals from men’s freestylers at the Medved International on Sunday in Minsk, Belarus, with Kendric Maple winning gold at 61 kg/134 lbs. and Dom Bradley taking bronze at 125 kg/275 lbs.  

With little international experience, Maple (Lincoln, Neb./New York AC) ran through the bracket, taking out Armitaev Kuat of Kazakhstan in the first round with a 7-0 shut out to move onto the semifinals. There, he met up with 2015 Ali Aliev Tournament bronze medalist Ramazan Ferzaliev of Russia, who he outlasted with a 10-7 win.

In the finals, Maple went head-to-head with Russia’s Eduard Grigorev, whose last international medal came in 2015 when he won silver at the Dmitri Korkin Tournament. Maple emerged victorious with a 2-1 win to claim the top spot on the podium.

“Kendric entered this trip as an unknown on the international scene,” U.S. Manager of Freestyle Programs Joe Russell said. “He left a strong impression on the wrestling world. They now know his name and know he has a bright future in freestyle wrestling.”

At 125 kg, the bracket was redrawn and Bradley (Ames, Iowa/Sunkist Kids) defeated three-time Maccabi Games champion Ostap Pasenok of Russia in the opening round, 2-1. In the quarterfinals, he topped Zuiko Urtahsvili of Georgia, who finished fifth in the 2015 and 2017 World Championships.  

Bradley came up short in the semifinals against 2015 Grand Prix of Paris champion Oleksandr Khotsianivskyi from Ukraine, 6-0, sending the American to the bronze medal bout. Waiting for him was another Ukrainian Oleksander Koldovskyi, who owns four international senior-level medals. Bradley scored on a four-pointer from a double leg and a step out to win bronze at heavyweight.

“Dom continued his streak of medaling in international tournaments, going 3-1 on the day,” Russell said. “His face shows the sacrifices made to win tough bouts.”

At 86 kg/189 lbs., Richard Perry (Philadelphia, Pa./New York AC/Pennsylvania RTC) lost a tough 3-1 match to 2015 World bronze medalist and 2016 Olympian Sandro Aminashvili of Georgia. Perry scored a cradle at the end of the match, but Georgia challenged the call and it was overturned. Perry was not pulled back into the repechage.

Medal results in the four weight classes contested Saturday will be posted when available.

MEDVED INTERNATIONAL
At Minsk, Belarus

U.S. men’s freestyle draws for Sunday
61 kg/134 lbs. – Kendric Maple, (Lincoln, Neb./New York AC)
WIN Armitaev Kuat (Kazakhstan), 7-0
WIN Ramazan Ferzaliev (Russia), 10-7
WIN Eduard Grigorev (Russia), 2-1

86 kg/189 lbs. – Richard Perry, (Philadelphia, Pa./New York AC/Pennsylvania RTC)
LOSS Sandro Aminashvili (Georgia), 3-1

125 kg/275 lbs. – Dom Bradley, (Ames, Iowa/Sunkist Kids)
WIN Pasenok Ostap (Russia), 2-1
WIN Zuiko Urtashvili (Georgia), 5-3
LOSS Oleksandr Khotsianivskyi (Ukraine), 6-0
WIN Oleksandr Koldovskyi (Ukraine), 5-0